krelianx
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2014
- Posts
- 233
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- 16
So it's that time again. I recently acquired a pair of Fidelio X1's from the FS forum.
I find them to be a really good pair of cans, but I have a few reservations that are making me doubt my decision:
1) They are not as easy to drive as I was told and hoped for - They do not reach a good volume out of a portable device.
2) The pads... alas. I spend a lot of time overseas and the fact that these are non-replaceable are really bothering me, considering we don't really know if other pads will reproduce the fidelity of the sound and fit just right.
3) More importantly, however, the bass bloatedness makes the mids sound a tad... thin in comparison. They are very smooth and nice headphones, but I find myself having to drive them to high volumes to get the musical forwardness from the mids that I desire; but the bass becomes a bit much anyways. I think the mids are where the majority of the musical depth comes from, whereas bass and treble prominence makes things sound ornamental rather than musical. But someone suggested this could be just the Fidelios being underamped too... I don't know what to believe anymore.
Now, I tried the HD600's in a store here and I absolutely loved them, particularly with the 650 cable. It was a limited testing, so I still have doubts about how it will hold up to the X1s across the board. The bass was not boomy but tight, the mids were smooth and very musical, and the soundstage was not nearly as spacious as the Fidelios, but still fairly large.
However, these were also properly amped. I know I would have to get a proper amp for these, and that they are thus not really portable. But I would like to hear your opinions on how the HD600s. generally stand up to the X1s.
Also, the prospect of the L2s coming out soon for a comparable price, with lighter build, potentially more balanced sound and increased portability is being very tempting.
How do the L2s compare to the X1s? From reading some reviews and the forums, one might think the L2s could render the X1s obsolete, shedding off a bit of the bass bloat in favor of a lusher mid profile. But there are still relatively few extensive comparisons in this regard. I would like to know more here.
I listen mostly to Jazz and rock.
I find them to be a really good pair of cans, but I have a few reservations that are making me doubt my decision:
1) They are not as easy to drive as I was told and hoped for - They do not reach a good volume out of a portable device.
2) The pads... alas. I spend a lot of time overseas and the fact that these are non-replaceable are really bothering me, considering we don't really know if other pads will reproduce the fidelity of the sound and fit just right.
3) More importantly, however, the bass bloatedness makes the mids sound a tad... thin in comparison. They are very smooth and nice headphones, but I find myself having to drive them to high volumes to get the musical forwardness from the mids that I desire; but the bass becomes a bit much anyways. I think the mids are where the majority of the musical depth comes from, whereas bass and treble prominence makes things sound ornamental rather than musical. But someone suggested this could be just the Fidelios being underamped too... I don't know what to believe anymore.
Now, I tried the HD600's in a store here and I absolutely loved them, particularly with the 650 cable. It was a limited testing, so I still have doubts about how it will hold up to the X1s across the board. The bass was not boomy but tight, the mids were smooth and very musical, and the soundstage was not nearly as spacious as the Fidelios, but still fairly large.
However, these were also properly amped. I know I would have to get a proper amp for these, and that they are thus not really portable. But I would like to hear your opinions on how the HD600s. generally stand up to the X1s.
Also, the prospect of the L2s coming out soon for a comparable price, with lighter build, potentially more balanced sound and increased portability is being very tempting.
How do the L2s compare to the X1s? From reading some reviews and the forums, one might think the L2s could render the X1s obsolete, shedding off a bit of the bass bloat in favor of a lusher mid profile. But there are still relatively few extensive comparisons in this regard. I would like to know more here.
I listen mostly to Jazz and rock.
